Coffee is our ingredient of the season, and we’re slowly building up an archive of our favorite coffee recipes!

Today we’re sharing our favorite coffee gear within each category of coffee making. You must know all the types by now. There’s espresso, pour-over, drip, drop, and drivel… 😉

Before going through the list of our favorite coffee makes, I want to acknowledge that many of the items on our list are pricey. We drink coffee daily and we really appreciate a quality cup of coffee… Case-in-point, we’ve gone at least three different rounds taste-testing beans from different roasters, and we still waffle about what makes the best coffee. All that’s to say that we value a good cup of coffee, and we’re willing to put our money into purchases that will make quality coffee. It also helps that we buy (on average) less than one cup of coffee/week out of the house. So money spent on coffee makers is money well spent.

1. Rancilio Espresso Machine : We were lucky enough to be able to ask for it as a wedding gift, and we’ve had no regrets. It has a metal body and commercial grade parts that are able to produce the pressure necessary for a quality cup of espresso. We’ve used it almost every day of the past 7+ years (the only exceptions are vacations!). And if we do the math, buying a $3 cup of coffee Monday-Friday every week of the year, you’re going to pay more than the price of this machine…
2. Rancilio Burr Grinder : you’ll make a better cup of coffee with freshly ground beans, and burr grinders provide a more even grind than blades. This grinder is the compliment to our espresso maker. Again, it’s on the pricey side, but how many of those $3+ coffees are you buying every day? This grinder has commercial grade burrs, and it comes with a handy doser that makes it easy to serve up a consistent amount of grounds.
3. Stovetop Espresso Maker : If you don’t want a full espresso machine taking up counter space, then these cute little stovetop espresso makers are a great alternative. We take ours along on car camping trips and can easily whip up an espresso using the camp stove.
4. Kalita Glass Dripper + Cotton Filters : When not drinking espresso-based drinks, we prefer pour-over coffee to other drip options. Since we’re often making a single cup at a time (we like it hot and on demand), this single-serving glass option is our favorite. This differs from other glass options in that it doesn’t come to a point at the bottom, but has a flat bottom with three holes, which helps to create a slow and steady flow of water through the coffee. We also use the sturdy cotton wave filters that are recommended.
5. Chemex Pour-over : And when making pour-over for a group, I love the aesthetics of a good old glass Chemex. And these are a great option for a reusable filter.
6. Drip Coffee Maker with Thermal Carafe : Finally, there are the crazy happy times when our house is filled with family and making one cup at a time just won’t do. That’s when we break out our good old drip maker (but still make Sarah her special cappuccinos with the espresso maker). This is NOT the drip maker that we have, ours is no longer in production, BUT having a maker with a thermal carafe is clutch when you want to keep coffee warm for everyone from the early to the late risers.